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This study investigated perceived support received by partners and its association with quality of life (QOL) in older couples facing skin cancer. Thirty couples (n = 60; MAge = 70) in which one partner had a skin cancer diagnosis (PwSC) completed either online or paper surveys about their skin cancer diagnosis, perceived partner support, and overall QOL. Actor-partner interdependence models revealed that when PwSCs reported overprotection from their healthy partners (HPs), they were more likely to report lower QOL. Protective buffering received by HPs was negatively associated with their QOL as well as their PwSCs QOL. Active engagement support, however, was not associated with either partner's QOL. While couples may use all three styles of relationship-focused support, protective buffering and overprotection affected each partner's QOL. Implications of the study findings for interventions for couples facing illnesses like skin cancer are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives There is growing evidence of the benefits of computers for older adults. Yet, adoption rates are lower compared with younger adults. Extant theoretical models of technology acceptance are limited in their application to older adults—studies on which these models are based included a limited sample of older adults or none at all; none assessed use of a technology specifically designed for older adults; and most only measured intention to use a technology or short-term use, rather than longer-term use (i.e. adoption). We assessed adoption of a computer system specifically designed for older users, for a diverse sample, over an extended period of time. Research Design and Methods We analyzed archival data from 150 ethnically diverse older adults (65–98 years of age) who participated in the Personal Reminder Information and Social Management (PRISM) randomized controlled trial (Czaja SJ, Boot WR, Charness N, Rogers WA, Sharit J, Fisk AD,...Nair SN. The personalized reminder information and social management system (PRISM) trial: Rationale, methods and baseline characteristics. Contemp Clin Trials. 2015;40:35–46; Czaja SJ, Boot WR, Charness N, Rogers WA, Sharit J. Improving social support for older adults through technology: Findings from the PRISM randomized controlled trial. Gerontologist. 2017;58:467–477). We examined the extent to which attitudes, personal characteristics (e.g. age, gender, and personality), and cognitive abilities predicted mid-term and long-term adoption of a computer system designed for older adults. Results There were individual differences in PRISM use over time. Regression analyses indicated that individual differences in earlier use of the system, executive functioning, and computer efficacy predicted long-term use. Discussion and Implications These data provide insights for broader-based models of technology acceptance to guide design, instruction, and deployment of products for older adults. Specifically, the provision of opportunities to foster efficacy and gain positive experience with computer technologies may play a critical role in the likelihood that older adults adopt such technologies. Trial Registration NCT01497613. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) created a "perfect storm" for financial fraud targeting older adults. Guided by the Contextual Theory of Elder Abuse, we focused on individual and systemic contexts to examine how older adults became prey to financial fraud. Research Design and Methods In July 2020, 998 adults who were 60–98 years of age (93% White; 64% female) completed an online survey about experiences with financial fraud. Participants were recruited from gerontology research registries at Florida State University, University of Pittsburg, Virginia Tech, and Wayne State University. Results Over half (65.9%) of the respondents experienced a COVID-19-related scam attempt, with charity contributions (49%) and COVID-19 treatments (42%) being the most common. Perpetrators commonly contacted older adults electronically (47%) two or more times (64%). Although most respondents ignored the request (i.e. hung up the phone and deleted text/e-mail), 11.3% sent a requested payment, and 5.3% provided personal information. Predictors of vulnerability included contentment with financial situation, concern about finances in the aftermath of the pandemic, and wishing to talk to someone about financial decisions. Respondents targeted for a non-COVID-19 scam attempt were less likely to be targets of a COVID-19-related scam. Discussion and Implications Older adults who were financially secure, worried about their financial situation, or wished they could speak with someone about their financial decisions appeared susceptible to falling victim to a fraud attempt. The high number of attempts indicates a need for a measurable and concerted effort to prevent the financial fraud of older adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given its relative ethnic and socio-economic homogeneity, Sweden is an ideal nation for the study of variations in formal and informal care as a function of gender, disability and advanced age. This paper reports an analysis of the relationships between gender, disability and age and the formal care delivered to more than 1,200 people aged 75 or more years in Sweden in 1994 and 2000. In municipalities that provided above-average home-help hours per recipient, and that had high institutional placement rates, women were relatively less likely to have been receiving informal assistance alone, those with greater disability were more likely to have been receiving all forms of assistance, the oldest-old were less likely to have been receiving either informal or formal help alone, and rates of formal assistance and of no informal care were relatively low. In municipalities with high rates of institutional placement, the oldest-old were relatively more likely to have been receiving both formal and informal assistance. Sweden's system of old-age care appears broadly equitable although the quality of care could not be fully assessed. Although home and community-based service provision (HCBS) has recently decreased, variations in the volume and mix of delivered formal services reflect differences in need. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author conveys her thoughts on the widespread regulatory influences of cortisol and the relative ease of measuring it non-invasively in saliva. Topics mentioned include the role of cortisol in learning, memory, and emotion, enzyme-based immunoassays in the late 1990s, and exposure of bodily tissues by repeated and chronic activation to elevated concentrations of the hormone.

Objectives. This article examined exposure to and appraisal of care-related stressors associated with use of adult day services (ADS) by family caregivers of individuals with dementia. Methods. Using a within-person withdrawal design (A-B-A-B), we compared caregivers’ exposure to and appraisal of behavior problems on days their relative attended and did not attend ADS. Participants were 121 family caregivers enrolling a relative with dementia in an ADS program. Daily assessments were obtained prior to the person's attending ADS for the first time and after 1 and 2 months of attendance on days the person attended and did not attend ADS. Results. Total exposure to stressors and stress appraisals decreased significantly over time on ADS days compared with non-ADS days. Most of this difference was accounted by the time the person with dementia was away from the caregiver, but there were also significant reductions in behavioral problems during the evening and improved sleep immediately following ADS use. Discussion. ADS use lowered caregivers’ exposure to stressors and may improve behavior and sleep for people with dementia on days they have ADS. The study highlights how a within-person design can identify the effects of an intermittent intervention, such as ADS. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]